1. Field of the Invention
Aspects of this invention relate generally to humidification devices, and more particularly to disposable humidification devices.
2. Description of Related Art
The following art defines the present state of this field:
U.S. Pat. No. 1,474,254 to Gerstle is directed to an improved cigar-shaped humidor that is readily adaptable to various sizes of boxes within certain limits, and which will remain in proper position within the cigar box.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,481,325 to Gris is directed to improvements in devices for keeping cigars and tobacco moist in the form of a very simple article which may be placed in any form of a cigar box, humidor, tobacco box or other form of container and which will be adapted to retain itself in position therein notwithstanding variations in the sizes of the various containers. The device comprises in part a casing or shell formed of telescoping sections which are forced in opposite directions by a spring so that the sections will press against the sides or wall of the container and hold themselves in place. In the container there is an absorbent material for retaining the moisture and for giving off the moisture by evaporation.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,700,574 to Smith is directed to a humidor with means for keeping the water absorbing material in proper shape no matter how long used and with a means for shaking the excess of water from the absorbing material.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,623,781 to Hagan is directed to a disposable humidifier device for enclosure within the usual conventional cigarette pack, the device being placed within the pack by the manufacturer at the factory and which, when the pack is opened by the smoker, may then be suitably moistened for the purpose intended. The device is capable of ready and easy placement in or removal from the open end of a pack of cigarettes and can be produced at such an extremely low cost that its disposal after use remains a matter of little or no importance.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,323,784 to Fazio is directed to a humidifier including means for vaporizing water and a reservoir for containing the water which is to be vaporized that is constructed of inexpensive materials and that is of the disposable type in order that it may be thrown away and inexpensively replaced should it become excessively coated with scale in the form of an accumulation of minerals in the water being handled thereby.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,037,459 to Spruill et al. is directed to an insert for inclusion in a substantially sealed container to control the relative humidity within the container is provided. The insert is a packet at least part of the surface of which is a membrane capable of passing water vapor and which contains a buffering substance which is a saturated salt solution selected according to the desired relative humidity, and modified by a nonelectrolyte, if necessary, to adjust the relative humidity.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,230,867 to Kunze et al. is directed to a cartridge for an air freshener having a pad sealed within a housing by an air-permeable membrane. The density, permeability, and fiber characteristics of the pad and membrane are selected to achieve extended life while maintaining satisfactory air freshening performance.
U.S. Patent Nos. D394,522, D406,388, D408,099, and D409,330 to Putnam are directed to the ornamental designs for a humidor, as shown and described.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,829,452 to Oster is directed to a container, which may or may not be in the form of a cylinder conforming generally to the shape of a cigar, having a wall thickness and constitution which permits water vapor to escape therethrough, but which will not permit water droplets or palpable moisture to pass therethrough and subsequently over-wet the material to be humidified, such as cigars. The container is adapted to house a quantity of highly absorbent material, such as acrylamide potassium or sodium acrylate copolymer, cross-linked. End caps may be used as desired, including end caps with apertures therein to permit an accelerated rate of humidification by allowing more water vapor to escape the interior of the container than is allowed by ordinary osmosis through the walls of the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,934,773 to Ferrell is directed to a humidifier device including at least two housings, each housing containing an absorbent material. Each housing is designed as a stamped or molded cup-shaped member having rounded corners and a flanged edge, and a plurality of apertures. A flat, rectangular member is attached to the flanged edge, thereby creating a cavity between the flat, rectangular member and the cup-shaped member. The absorbent material is located within the cavity and is soaked with an evaporative solution for imparting moisture into the storage case by evaporation through the apertures in the housing. The humidifier device may be replenished by pouring solution through the apertures on the housings, or by immersing humidifier device in a bath of solution, thereby allowing the absorbent material to become replenished with solution. The housings are each provided with a magnet attached to the flat, rectangular member which can be used to mount the housing to a second magnet mounted on the interior of the storage case. In the preferred embodiment the housings are detachably joined by a frangible member. The frangible member allows the user to use the two housings as a single unit or as two separate units, depending on the humidity needs of any particular storage case. The humidifier device may include two, three, four, or more housings detachably joined to each other by frangible members.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,279,581 to Knepper is directed to a portable, flexible humidor for cigars. A flexible cigar storage compartment and a flexible moisture control compartment are connected by a passageway having a staggered series of channels which permit moisture-laden air to flow from one compartment to another while deterring the flow of liquid. Cigars are stored in the flexible cigar storage compartment and a moist sponge is inserted in the flexible moisture control compartment. Both compartments have resealable openings which permit the user to repetitively open and close the compartments to gain access to the cigars and the sponge.
International PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO 2002/051267 to Wirth is directed to a cigar humidifier (1) that is briefly immersed in water and then laid in the cigar box in place of a cigar. Water vapor steadily escapes through the body (9) that stores the water, through the water-permeable shell (10) and into the cigar box, through the openings (5, 6). In this way, the cigars are kept practically as fresh in their box as in an air-conditioned room, over a very long period. When a colored, self-adhesive strip (11) that is stuck to the water-permeable shell (10) becomes visible through the openings (6), this indicates that the cigar humidifier (1) needs to be re-immersed in water for further use.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US2003/0067086 to Mulvaney et al. is directed to a disposable tray liner for a humidifier reservoir including a bottom wall adapted for contacting a support surface of the reservoir and a continuous side wall that extends upwardly from the bottom wall. The bottom wall and continuous side wall form a water receiving receptacle that is adapted to cover the reservoir surfaces. When stale or stagnant water and mineral deposits form in the disposable tray liner, the disposable tray liner is removed from the humidifier and replaced with a new or fresh disposable tray liner. The removed disposable tray liner can be discarded or recycled.
The prior art described above teaches various humidors, a moistener for cigars and tobacco, a disposable humidifier for cigarette packs, a humidifier with throw-away reservoir, a device for controlling relative humidity within a substantially sealed container, an extended release fragrance dispensing cartridge, a humidification device, a humidifier device, a portable cigar humidor, a cigar humidifier, and a disposable tray liner for humidifiers, but does not teach a disposable humidification apparatus having an activation layer over a microporous membrane that alone is capable of regulating humidity without any additives to the water that is contained within the reservoir beneath the membrane, whether sponges or chemicals, as well as the associated methods of manufacturing and using such new and useful humidification apparatus. Aspects of the present invention fulfill these needs and provide further related advantages as described in the following summary.